"Well, yes. The kaphre that crawled out of the banyan tree was unsafe to have dealings with and while he sang his sinister little song he took us all prisoner. Yes, all. When he came out of the tree shaking the earth he managed to make Mr. Finn lose his balance and unfortunately the poor man fell from the branches and hit his head against a huge stone and was knocked out before the first round. The pirate Kaphre then grabbed hold of one of Alpin´s legs with one hand and of one of his unconscious bodyguard's with the other. Michael and I could have fled, but we didn't. Michael later told me that he knows perfectly well when to be and when not to be among those present but that he tried to reason with the Kaphre because one thing is not to be able to teach a difficult pupil a thing and another totally different to let the Kaphres take him. He refused to admit that he had also stayed to help his cousin and insisted that Alpin deserved what he had got. I don't know why I didn´t run. Perhaps so I could have a story to tell, or because I was fascinated seeing what was happening, somewhat like a monkey before a snake. Well, in any case, it is at moments like this that one can tell who one really is, especially if you are a Kaphre.

"There is nothing worse for a fairy person than to be kidnapped. Since we are immortal, we aren´t scared of death but we do fear being kidnapped. And the Kaphre turned out to be a much more disagreeable kidnapper than Mr. Finn had once been. To begin with he promised that he would eat us, which meant that we would end up prisoners in his brains, which is where fairy people go when they are ingested. For the moment he was satisfied to have us hanging from the roots of his home, all save Mr. Finn, whom he took outside again and tied to his tree, ordering him to observe the horizon and give warning should anyone approach the island. Salty Boogerbeard, for such was the Kaphre´s name, was an assiduous reader of the Fairy People´s Guinness Book of Records and had even been mentioned in the said book more than once, the last time for being the spirit to have strangled the most octopuses with their own tentacles. This is why he recognized Mr. Finn, who was a celebrity in his own way and wished to give him employment. As for the rest of us, well, Salty had quite a time laughing at us, especially at Alpin, who tortured us with his screams demanding food. Salty was not at all bothered by Alpin´s shouts. He said they sounded better than celestial music and reminded him of the hell he had lived in when he was a kid. He even got sentimental.

"We not only had to put up with jail and shouting. Fairy people don´t need to eat much to live, save punctual cases such as Alpin´s, but we do need to drink at least a few drops of dew with a certain frequency if we don´t want to have a hard time. Soon our thirst was unbearable, but Salty, instead of being merciful, had a diabolical idea. He put five kegs in front of Mr. Finn. The first was labelled "Rum," the second "Port," the third "Water," the fourth "Coke" and the fifth "Sherry."

"Poor Mr. Finn must have felt awful, but always gallant, he rallied, decided to try. It took him a while. Or an eternity. Or perhaps only the time needed to glance at the five "doodles" on the barrels.

"Well, I think it is about time that I tell you that Salty has changed his mind and says he would rather not eat cultured people because we might affect him when we become lodged in his brain. What he wants is for you to pay a slightly peculiar ransom. But he is a little tired of how long I am taking to write this letter and demands that one of you come here at once to negotiate with him, should you be interested in having us released. Faifthfully yours, your loving son, Arley.